Stephen nicholson and herbert anthony bo wen



(No Model.)

S. NICHOLSON & H. A. BOWENJ PROCESS OF OBTAINING CARBON FORINGANDESGENTS.

No. 329,670. Patented Nov. 3, 1885'.

WITNESS-ES: v I-NVENT DR} W k. 3W,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN NICHOLSON AND HERBERT ANTHONY POWVEN, OF PROVIDENCE, R. I.

PROCESS OF OBTAINSNG CARBON FOR INCAND ESCENTS.

":SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,670, datedNovember 3, 1885.

Application filed June 18, 1884. Serial No. 135,284. (Specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, STEPHEN NIoHoLsoN and HERBERT ANTHONY BOWEN,citizens of the United States, and residents of Providence, Providencecounty, and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement inProcesses for Obtaining Garbons from Materials Containing Oarbons, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representinglike parts.

This invention relates to that class of processes employed to obtaincarbon from mate rials containing carbon for incandescent and otherelectric lighting apparatus, sugar refineries, and other purposes; andit has for its object to obtain comparatively pure carbon practicallyfree from other matter or volatile substances in a cheap, rapid, andeasy manner.

To this end ourimproved process consistsin immersing material or mattercontaining carbon, either directly or when confined in amold of suitableform, to obtain carbon in desired shapes or figures, in a bath of meltedlead, tin,

alloys, or other suitable metallic substances or compounds which willfuse at a comparatively lowtemperature, so that the material containingcarbon will be in effect hermetically sealed while in the bath, and bethoroughly protected from exposure to atmospheric air or other injurious influences while the body of melted lead or other metallicsubstance is at a low de gree of temperature; next, raising thetemperature of the bath to thoroughly drive off or consume all organicand volatile matter, and, lastly, of removing the carbonized material orpractically pure carbon after the metallic bath is allowed to cool downtoacomparativelylow degree of temperature, which shall, however, beabove the fusing-point, substantially as hereinafter fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawing shows a suitable cast-iron pot to contain the bath, afurnace to heat the bath, and a pair of tongs to retain the mold belowthe surface of said bath and to permit it to be readily removedtherefrom.

As one method of carrying out our invention, we provide a bath,preferably of melted lead, contained ina cast-iron pot or vessel, suchas is illustrated in the drawing, and while the liquid metal is at acomparatively low degree of temperature the material containing carbonis immersed or confined therein, when the temperature of the bath israised, say, to l,200

or 1,500 Fahrenheit, (more or less,) to drive off or consume allvolatileand organic matter. The bath is then cooled or allowed to cool to acomparatively low degree of temperature, when the carbonized material orpractically pure carbon is removed. The bath should be at asut'ficiently low degree of temperature so that the material to becarbonized will not be destroyed or damaged as it is being immersed insaid bath by reason of the heat thereof and of the presence of oxygenat-its surface. After the material is immersed and the temperature ofthe bath raised, as stated, the latter should be allowed to coolsufficiently to prevent combustion of the carbonized material whenremoved and exposed to the atmosphere by reason of its heated conditionand the presence of oxygen.

When it is desired to obtain the carbon in any required shape or figure,the material containing carbon is placed in cast-iron or other suitablemolds, and the molds then immersed in the bath.

Instead of lead we may use tin, alloys, fusible solder, or any suitablemetal or metallic compound which will fulfill the conditions hereinstatedviz., those of hermetically sealing the material to be carbonized,of fusing at a sufficiently low degree of temperature to permit thematerial to be immersed without damaging or destroying the same, asstated, and of being adapted to be heated toa high degree of temperatureto drive off or consume all volatile and organic matter in the material.

The material to be carbonized may be held submerged in the bath by meansof an iron rod, a clamp, a pair of tongs, or by any other suitablemeans, the holder being but partly immersed in the bath, as indicated inthe drawing, in which, however, a mold containing the material is shownas kept in said bath by means of a pair of tongs.

As the essential element of our invention is the hermetioal sealing ofthe material to be carbonized by means of melted metal or metalliccompound, it would be no departure from the spirit of ourinvention tobury or embed the material in a body of sand or other earthy substanceconfined in a pot or kettle or other suitable receptacle, and then coverthe said body of sand with a layer or stratum of metal or metalliccompound in liquid form to hermetically seal the material, when theentire body would be heated to drive off all organic or volatilesubstances from the material, after which the metal would be poured offso that the carbonized material could be removed from the body of thesand.

I claim 1. An improved method of obtaining carbon from materialscontaining carbon, which consists in confining the material in a mold,next plunging the mold in a bath of liquefied material adapted tosupport a high temperature, to hermetically seal the confined material,next subjecting the material while in the bath to heat sufficient tocarbonize it, and lastly removing the mold containing the carbonizedmaterial from the bath, substantially as set forth.

'2. The improved method of obtaining carbon from materials containingcarbon, which consists in immersing the material in a liquid metallicbath to hermetically seal the same, next raising the temperature ofthe'bath'to drive off or consume all volatile and organic matter, nextcooling the bath to a comparatively low degree of temperature, andlastly removing the carbonized material from the bath while at such lowdegree of temperature, substantially as set forth.

consists in retaining or confining the material below a confined layeror stratum of melted metal or metallic compound to hermetically seal thesame, next to drive off by heat all organic or volatile substances fromthe material while so confined, and lastly removing the material fromconfinement before the layer or stratum of metal solidifies in itsconfined state, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN NICHOLSON. HERBERT ANTHONY BOWEN.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. LAINGE, AUGUSTUS S. MILLER.

